wickersham



W. WICKERSHAM,

-Sad Iron,

Patented Aug 8,, 1854.

WILLIAM VVICKERSHAM, OF BOSTON, MASSACHUSETTS.

. EW-HE I G. dQsH G- Q Specif cationof Letters Patent No. 11,503, dated August 1854 To all whom it mayponcern: l

-Be t-known that I, WILLIAM 7W1onnnsHaM, of Bostonyinthe county at Suffolk and State of Massachusetts, have invented a new and useful or Improved SelfHeating Smoothing-Iron for Ironing Clothes or other Articles; and I do hereby declare that, the same is fully described and represented in the following specification and the accompanying drawing, letters, figures, and references thereof. J

Of the said drawings, Figure 1 represents a top View of the said smoothing iron. Fig.

2, is a side elevation of it. Fig. 3, a vertical,

central and longitudinal section of it, and Fig. 4 is a horizontal section of it taken through the flame chamber.

In the said drawings, A, denotes a smoothing flat made of the shape represented in the drawings or of any other desirable form. This flat is constructed of metal and with a flame chamber, B, within it, the said flame chamber being open at its rear end and having a chimney, C, extended upward and opening out of its front end as seen in the drawings. The mouth of the chimney is placed or arranged so that it shall stand parallel or nearly so to a plane passing longitudinally and vertically through the in strument, the same being not only in order to improve the draft of air through theflame chamber, while the iron is in use, but also to prevent currents of air from being driven down the discharging mouth so as to diminish the draft. and cause back flashing of the flame; were the mouth of the chimney placed directly open to the direction in which the iron is moved, so that when the iron is moved longitudinally the open discharging mouth of the chimney would be pushed directly against the external air, the draft of the chimney would not only be impaired, but some times a downward draft might be induced which would throw the flame from the wicks, a, a, backward out of the rear end of the flame chamber.

Above the smoothing flat the handle, D, is arranged and supported by standards, E, E, extending upward from the top of the smoothing flat; such handle being made hollow. so as to serve in part or in whole thepurpose of a reservoir for holding the alcohol or combustible fluid to be supplied to the wicks. The rearpart of the handle is extended downward as seen at, E, and

has a cock, F, applied to. it, soas to open or close-a passage, 6, Z), leadingfrom it into a small chamber, G, .from which three or any other suitable numberof wick-tubes, H, H, H, are extended and madeto; enter the rear oropen, end of the flame chamber.

While the smoothing iron is i11.use,the combustiblefluid employed is suffered to be discharged in: the required. quantityor quantities into the chamber, G, and from thence it flows through the wick tubes into the several wicks with which they are supplied.

Between the top and the bottom of the flame chamber, I employ several metallic columns, I, I, I, which are made to extend from sald top to said bottom, and are not only for the purpose of intercepting heat from the flame, but of conducting heat from the metallic top of the flame chamber down to the bottom thereof, the upper surface of the top of the flame chamber being covered by a stratum, L, of plaster of Paris or any other suitable non-conducting body or material.

When plaster of Paris is used as a nonconductor, it maybe protected from injury by a covering plate, M, suitably applied to it. This plaster of Paris or nonconducting body arranged in the manner as set forth, that is, on the top of the smoothing flat, and between such top and the part grasped by the hand of a person not only serves as a protector for the hand against the heat ofsaid top, but it also serves to prevent the escape of heat and thereby causes the surplus heat of such top to pass down the columns, I, I, I, and into the metallic bottom of the fire chamber: Such metallic bottom not only receives heat in such a manner indirectly from the flame of the Wicks but also by actual contact with the flame which is caused to flow over it.

The handle, D, is provided with a suitable opening, 0, through which it may be supplied with alcohol or other combustible fluid, such opening when the iron is in use being closed by a suitable plug or screw cap. When the said smoothing iron is in use and its wicks inflamed, a powerful current of air is induced in the rear end of the flame chamber causing the flame from the wicks to be driven into and more or less through it,- and against the columnar connections, I, I, as will be readily seen and A. understood, Nearly, 'if'not all the heat received by top of the flame chamber, and which would tions or columns I, I,extending therefrom and, for the purpose of intercepting heat and conducting it downward into the bottom of the flame chamber substantially as specified.

3. I do not claim the mere application of a non-conducting material to a surface, in order to prevent the escape of heat therefrom, but I claim the non-conducting material arranged on the top of the iron in combination with conductors leading from the top of the flame chamber down to the bottom of said flame chamber, by which combinat-ion, as specified, the surplus heat in the top of the fiat is saved and conducted into the bottom of the iron as described.

In testimony whereof I have hereunto set my signature this seventh day of February 30' a WILLIAM WIGKERSHAM. i

Witnesses N. SHANNON, HY WITRING. 

